Kitchen

[homedecor1]

@summerwind

I had problems with these minut ant (size of pin heads) he told me bay leaves in closets where I keep spices.  It works!!! Haven't seen them in a very long time --?hope they don't show up now that company coming!!!😉😉

[Furgirl]

Ok, now I'm gonna have to google "what the heck is a pantry moth".

I did and saw the larvae videos.  Ewww!

[CelticCrafter]

I store everything in sealed, plastic containers and I don't mix new with old just in case the new has hitchhikers.

[ptagirl]

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@CelticCrafter wrote:

I store everything in sealed, plastic containers and I don't mix new with old just in case the new has hitchhikers.

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I also store everything in sealed containers, including dry cat food.  I once had a bag of dry cat food with bugs, also a bag of flour, box of cornmeal, box of cakemix, and dry fish coating, all new from the store and with package sealed (you just never know where this stuff is stored). 

When I buy groceries, EVERYTHING goes into Lock & Locks.  I also don't mix the new with the old in case I accidently bring something home from the store....plus it takes forever to get rid of the worms/moths once noticed (lots of pitching food and cleaning/scrubbing )..pretty much as bad a fruit flies...they come out of nowhere!

I DO NOT store any birdseed in my house  and if I buy any bulk nuts, they go in the freezer...been pretty lucky for a long time now....knock on wood....

[Tigriss]

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice.  I too have been battling this since I got some seed mix for my parrot.  I've used bay leaves but they seem to just ignore it.  I've got lavender essential oil, so I'll put some of that out until the pantry moth traps arrive from Amazon.  I'm excited.  I've cleaned everything out several times and use Bengal sprays for flying insects and then steam cleaned all the cabinets and joinery to further clean the cracks in the cabinets.  This didn't work even after I threw out almost everything.  I'm going to continue to steam the cabinets and carpets in the house and use the traps and oils, plus I now freeze everything that is grain-based before I use it.  I will also be investing in more lock and lock or similar to keep everything.  

[x Hedge]

I'd like to hear from anyone who uses Press & Seal or a similar device. I'm wondering if vacuum sealing dry ingredients like flour and cornmeal after each use can keep the Little Critters from spreading around in the kitchen better than L&L.

[ptagirl]

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@Tigriss wrote:

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice.  I too have been battling this since I got some seed mix for my parrot.  I've used bay leaves but they seem to just ignore it.  I've got lavender essential oil, so I'll put some of that out until the pantry moth traps arrive from Amazon.  I'm excited.  I've cleaned everything out several times and use Bengal sprays for flying insects and then steam cleaned all the cabinets and joinery to further clean the cracks in the cabinets.  This didn't work even after I threw out almost everything.  I'm going to continue to steam the cabinets and carpets in the house and use the traps and oils, plus I now freeze everything that is grain-based before I use it.  I will also be investing in more lock and lock or similar to keep everything.  

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I know how hard it is to get rid of these nasty bugs.  If you're still seeing moths, they may be in a packaged box of something ..I had that happen before.  I thought I had them taken care of...but....then I opened up a cornbread muffin mix and it was full of bugs...I now inspect everything I bring in and dump everything into sealed containers.  That way if there's anything in there I'll know right off the bat before using it. 

[Tigriss]

@x Hedge These things eat through plastics and get into cardboard boxes/containers. They will eat through several layers of plastic and get into everything grain based. They are like weevils, so hard to get rid of.

[ptagirl]

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@x Hedge wrote:
I'd like to hear from anyone who uses Press & Seal or a similar device. I'm wondering if vacuum sealing dry ingredients like flour and cornmeal after each use can keep the Little Critters from spreading around in the kitchen better than L&L.

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I haven't tried vacuum sealing anything, but just seperating it from the other things in the pantry helps (you could even use ziploc bags).

I find If I put it in a lock & lock, I know it is sealed nicely and I don't have to worry about it too much. 

I've had pretty good luck doing it this way...if there's anything in there it can't get out, then you can take the container outside and dump the contents in the dumpster, then wash and sterilize the container afterwards (unless it's really contaminated, then I'd just pitch the whole thing)......

[debic]

Bugs is one of the reasons why I started putting everything in jars and vacuuming them with my foodsaver.  I probably have over a hundred half gallon jars. And quite a few other sizes. Any kind of seeds or grain can get buggy.